Next generation Video On-Demand (VOD) systems will include the ability to optionally perform real-time encryption of content from a central or edge location, and the ability to optionally transcode the content. Transcoding is used to provide additional compression in order to reduce bandwidth. These systems consist of a network of devices, such as video servers (Seachange, N-Cube, etc.) that store and play out content, Central Encryptors (Motorola CE), Transcoders (Motorola TMX), and edge QAM devices (Motorola SEM or Harmonic NSG). Since these new features (central real-time encryption and trancoding) are optional (i.e., content specific), and human operators cannot be involved in decision-making each time a subscriber orders a VOD event, a method is needed to automate control of the VOD system. This automation is needed to direct the content through the VOD system to the Set-Top Box (STB) that initially requested the content, and to ensure that the proper processing is applied to the content along the way.
Thus, the present invention is therefore directed to the problem of developing an automated method for directing content through a series of devices in a communications system, such as a video-on-demand system to a set-top box.